The underworld had never felt more fragile. The very air was heavy with the anticipation of something cataclysmic, as if every stone, every shadow, knew that the balance of power had shifted irrevocably. The warrior stood in the center of the temple’s grand hall, their eyes burning with an energy that seemed to pulse in rhythm with the force still tearing at the edges of existence. Thoth and Anubis watched, their expressions devoid of mercy, their minds focused on what was to come.
In the days since the warrior’s birth from the rift, they had grown stronger, more attuned to the chaotic energy that had created them. And now, the moment had come to test the limits of that power. Thoth, ever the seeker of knowledge, was fascinated. He believed that the warrior was the key to stopping the ancient force, that their power could be harnessed, directed, controlled. Anubis, on the other hand, remained wary. His instincts screamed that this being was not to be trusted, that their very existence was a threat to the natural order.
The first test came swiftly. A group of lesser gods, drawn by the disturbance in the underworld, appeared at the temple's gates. These were gods of minor domains—deities whose power paled in comparison to Thoth and Anubis, but who still commanded respect in their own right. They had come to investigate, to challenge whatever force had dared to disrupt their realm.
The warrior did not wait for the gods to speak. With a single glance, they stepped forward, their form shifting as the power within them surged to the surface. The air around them crackled with raw energy, and before the lesser gods could react, the warrior struck.
(Seshat had watched many battles over the millennia, seen gods fall and rise again in the endless cycles of power and death. But this was different. This was not a battle—it was a demonstration. The warrior did not fight with the desperation of one seeking victory. They fought with the certainty of one who had already won. And as Seshat watched, she understood that this was a power unlike any other. A power born from the chaos Thoth had sought to control.)
The first god, a deity of storms, raised his hand to summon lightning from the sky, but before he could complete the gesture, the warrior was upon him. With a movement so swift it seemed to blur, the warrior grabbed the god by the throat, lifting him effortlessly into the air. The god’s eyes widened in shock, his power faltering as the warrior’s grip tightened. And then, with a flick of their wrist, the warrior sent him crashing into the ground with a force that shattered the stone beneath him.
The other gods hesitated for only a moment, but it was enough. The warrior turned their attention to the next, a goddess of rivers, her form shimmering like water. She lashed out with streams of liquid, attempting to bind the warrior, but the warrior moved through the attack as if it were nothing. In a heartbeat, they were upon her, their hand slashing through her watery form with such precision that she dissolved into a pool at their feet.
The remaining gods—two brothers who controlled the tides—charged together, their combined power creating a surge of energy that roared like the ocean itself. But the warrior was unfazed. They raised their hand, and with a single pulse of their own energy, they shattered the wave before it could reach them. The brothers faltered, their power splintering, and with a single blow, the warrior sent them sprawling across the temple floor.
Thoth watched it all with a growing sense of wonder. The warrior’s power was beyond anything he had imagined. They had defeated four gods with ease, their strength unmatched, their control absolute. And as the warrior stood amidst the wreckage of their fallen foes, Thoth began to believe that his theory was correct. The warrior could be the key to stopping the ancient force. If their power continued to grow, they could challenge the force itself, bend it to their will—to his will.
(Thoth had always believed that knowledge was the path to power, that understanding the forces of the universe would grant him control over them. But Seshat had seen what he could not—his ambition was blinding him. The warrior was not a tool to be wielded. They were a force unto themselves, born from chaos and destined to walk a path that no god, not even Thoth, could predict.)
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Seshat’s voice lingered in the air like a warning, but Thoth did not hear it. His mind was consumed by the possibilities the warrior’s power represented. He stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with that familiar hunger for control.
“You are stronger than I imagined,” Thoth said, his voice low and measured. “Stronger than any god I have ever encountered. With your power, we could stop the ancient force. We could control it.”
The warrior turned their gaze to Thoth, their expression unreadable. For a moment, they said nothing, their eyes locking with his in a silent battle of wills. And then, they spoke, their voice carrying the weight of the cosmos itself.
“I am not a tool for the gods to wield,” the warrior said, their words cutting through the air like a blade. “I exist beyond your ambitions, beyond your desires for control. I will not be used.”
Thoth’s smile did not falter, though a flicker of something darker crossed his gaze. “You misunderstand. This is not about control—it is about balance. The ancient force threatens to destroy everything, and with your power, we can stop it. Together.”
The warrior’s eyes narrowed, and the energy around them seemed to pulse more violently. “You speak of balance, but all I see is your hunger for power. I will not be part of your schemes, Thoth.”
Anubis, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward, his presence as commanding as ever. “The warrior speaks the truth, Thoth. You are blinded by your ambition. This being is not our salvation—it is a threat.”
Thoth’s gaze snapped to Anubis, his patience clearly fraying. “You don’t see it, do you? The force is weakening. The warrior’s power is affecting it. If we can harness this energy, we can stop the force once and for all.”
Anubis’s voice was cold, unyielding. “You seek to control something that was never meant to be controlled. The warrior will not bend to your will.”
The warrior watched them both, their expression unchanged. “I am not bound by the limitations of the gods. I am the embodiment of the chaos you sought to control, and I will walk my own path.”
(Seshat had always known that Thoth’s ambition would lead him here—to the point where he believed that even the most powerful forces in the universe could be bent to his will. But now, as the warrior stood before him, defying his every word, she saw the cracks in his carefully constructed facade. Thoth, for all his knowledge, had reached the limit of his understanding. And yet, he could not see it. He could not accept that there were forces beyond his control.)
Thoth’s eyes darkened, but he did not back down. “You speak of walking your own path, but without us, you will be destroyed. The ancient force is not something you can face alone.”
The warrior’s gaze shifted, and for a moment, the air in the temple grew impossibly still. “I was not born to serve the gods, nor was I born to be their weapon. I was born from the chaos that created this realm, and I will shape my own destiny.”
Anubis stepped forward again, his eyes locked on Thoth. “You’ve lost sight of what matters. The force is beyond us all, and trying to control it will only lead to our destruction. The warrior is not our ally, and they are not our enemy. They are beyond both.”
Thoth’s hands clenched at his sides, his mind racing. He had always believed that knowledge would grant him control over the universe’s most powerful forces, but now, faced with the warrior’s defiance, he felt the weight of his own limitations pressing down on him.
“I will not be denied,” Thoth said, his voice cold, almost desperate. “The force must be stopped.”
The warrior took a step forward, their presence overwhelming. “The force cannot be stopped. It is a part of the fabric of reality itself. But I will not let it consume me. I will face it on my terms.”
(Seshat had watched Thoth manipulate the threads of fate for centuries, bending time and space to his will. But now, as the warrior defied him, she saw the inevitable truth—Thoth could not control everything. There were forces in the universe that even the gods could not command. And as the warrior stood before him, stronger than any god, Seshat knew that Thoth’s time was running out.)
The warrior turned away from Thoth and Anubis, their gaze fixed on the distant horizon where the ancient force stirred. “I will face the force. Alone.”
Thoth opened his mouth to protest, but Anubis raised a hand, stopping him. “Let the warrior go,” Anubis said, his voice heavy with finality. “They are not ours to command.”
For a long moment, Thoth stood in silence, his mind struggling to accept the reality before him. The warrior, a being of unimaginable power, had rejected him. The force, the very thing he had sought to control, was slipping further from his grasp.
And as the warrior stepped into the shadows, their form disappearing into the void, Thoth was left with the bitter taste of failure on his tongue.
(Seshat had seen this moment coming for centuries. Thoth had always believed that knowledge would grant him power, but now, faced with the reality of forces beyond his understanding, he was left with nothing. The warrior had walked away, and with them, the last hope of controlling the ancient force.)
The temple grew silent once more, the air thick with the weight of what had just transpired. Thoth stood still, his gaze fixed on the place where the warrior had disappeared, his mind already calculating, already planning.
But deep down, beneath the layers of his ambition, there was the faintest flicker of doubt. And for the first time in millennia, Thoth wondered if he had reached the limits of what even a god could control.